The Gardener's New Director. 273 



fooner rots, and is much ftronger, from their manner 

 of feeding. However, the latter is not to be defpired, 

 when the firfl: is not to be h.ad. When this dung is taktn 

 into the comport yard, it mull be well expofcd to the 

 fun and wind, the better to imbibe the nitrons particles 

 of the air, h'c. for which purpofe I coniL^ntiy turned 

 and tolled it up, until the froll fet in for continuing, 

 when 1 laid it out to three inches depth, to mould and 

 rot by the froll, which does more in a month, than 

 can be procured in four from any other praclii.e. From 

 the firft of March I continued turning it, until about the 

 twentieth of /ipril, when I laid it up in heaps, in form 

 of liot-beds, and as foon as I perceived it heating, I co- 

 vered it with near a foot of good hot-bed mould, and 

 had very good Cucumbers and Pompions on thele heaps, 

 with feveral other hot-bed crops. 



Whilft the dur.g was at this work, I prepared the 

 earth for the hyacinths, in which great care is to be 

 taken. The earth about Haerlem (where Hyacintbt 

 thrive beft) is of ihe colour of a black fallow, mixed 

 with a white fand, and which, by lying, neither turns 

 of a red, nor of a yellow colour, which is the colour of 

 mofl: of our Britijb fand, except that fand which is found 

 upon the banks near the fca, which is called Holland 

 fand, and becomes whiter the longer it is kept. The 

 black earth is alio found in forne of thofe banks near the 

 fea, but more frequently in fnort heathy paftures: where- 

 fore, in order, to come as near as poffible to the Hacrhm 

 foil, take one third of this white fand, and two thirds of 

 this black mould, ten inches deep below the furface ; taking 

 fomeof the fward with it, and when you have picked out 

 all the large flones let it be mixed with the white fand^ 

 in the proportion jufl diredcd, and tofied up, until the 

 earth and fand be well incorjiorated, and the fward well 

 rotted, fo as to make an lieap of compofl, refembling as 

 near as pofTible the Haerlem foil. 



You are alfo to be provided with the fine riddlings of 

 tan, and fuch as has been two years out of the pit, and 

 v/orked in the ftove; this muft be cxpoled to the frofl: 

 to mould and turn to earth ; but where this is not to be 

 hail, take a cjuantity of well rotted leaves ol trees, which 

 will be equally gooj. 



In 



